Fan-fold book



June 15, 1965 E. 1.. WALKER, JR

FAN-FOLD BOOK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 4, 1963 INVENTOR. 51.55:?7' L. WALKER, JR. BY

5 gm A TTORME Y E. L. WALKER, JR

June 15, 1965 FAN-FOLD BOOK 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed April 4, 1963 4 554 7 L. WAL K56 JR} United States Patent 3,189,369 FAN-FOLD BBUK Elbert L. Walker, in, 445s Clarissa Ave, Los Angeles, Calif. Filed Apr. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 270,626 8 Claims. (Cl. 281-33) This invention relates to a book or album with fanfolded pages and has for an object to provide a book that embodies a novel and simple manner of successively exposing or turning the pages, either as desired and in irregular, un-timed sequence, or in response to a signal or one given in the sound track of a recording. Thus, the present book may have its pages imprinted with indicia, illustrations and photographs or be provided with such material which may be removably mounted on the pages, or its pages may be translucent so that removably mounted photographic transparencies may be viewed by light passing through the supporting page, or the page may consist of an open frame into which visual material, opaque or transparent, may be inserted for presentation. When used with a recording, such material may be related to the sound track of the recording. Therefore, the present book may be used in the classroom as well as for individual use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a book with fan-folded pages that may be arranged in easel-like form such that connected pages combine to present and expose to view of the user the subject material on or carried by such connected pages, the book further including page-turning means that facilitates accuracy of such operation in response to page-turning cues, and the body of fanfolded pages being removable from the front and back covers so that several sets of fan-folded pages may be used with the same covers.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description and which is based on the accompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and the following description merely describes, preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, in closed condition, of a fan-folded book embodying one form of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing said book open and illustrating the page-turning operation.

FIG. 3, to a smaller scale, shows an end view of the book disclosed in FIG. 1 and in easel-like arrangement to dispose and expose adjacent pages for simultaneous viewing thereof.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, in closed condition, of a fan-fold book of modified form.

FIG. 5 is an end view thereof in easel position.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are end views of other modified forms of fan-fold books according to the invention.

FIG. 8 is an end view of a reversible fan-fold book structure in one position thereof.

FIG. 9 is a similar view showing said reversible fanfold book structure in a reversed position.

The book or album that is illustrated in the several forms thereof comprises, generally, a core unit Ill and a cover 11 for said unit. In the forms of FIGS. 1 and 4,

ice

the book includes means 12, carried by the cover, for retaining the book in easel form.

The core 10 is shown as a plurality of sheets 15 that are connected along hinges 16 in fan-folded arrangement. The sheets 15 are preferably of such limited pliability that, while capable of being bent or flexed, they are sufficiently stiff to be position-retaining. Heavy craft paper, Bristol board, or sheets of other materials of similar flexibility may be used. In the structure of FIG. 6, the pages 15 are shown as thicker and quite stiff. The hinges may comprise conventional fabric hinges much used in stationery items.

Said sheets 15, on the faces 17 thereof that are exposed when the book is opened, may be imprinted with indicia and/or illustrations, or be provided with means for mounting removable sheets bearing indicia and/or illustrations. Such indicia and/ or illustrations may utilize single or double pages in presentation, and the fold of the pages may run between or through the indicia and/ or illustrations from side to side or top to bottom, depending upon the method of use of the book. Such faces or sides 17 of the sheets 15 will be called indicia faces herein, whether or not the same are imprinted or mount such material.

The cover 11 preferably comprises two relatively stiff cover sides 18 and 19 hingedly connected by a back 20 in the usual book-binding manner. In the book structure of FIGS. 1 and 4, one end sheet 21 of the sheet core 10 is hingedly connected, by its end edge, to the inner surface of the side 13. The other end sheet 22 is connected to a false cover side 23 that is inward of the side 19 and is connected by a hinge 24, in the form of FIG. 1, where said side joins the back 20, and by a hinge 25, in the form of FIG. 4, at the end edge of the side 19.

It will be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 that the total width from edge to edge of the cover, when open, is substantially greater than the width of two sheets 15. As a consequence, there is a space between the sheets on each cover. In the form of FIGS. 1 and 2 this space is formed by the width of the cover back 20, plus the widths of adjacent portions of the cover sides 18 and 19. In the form of FIGS. 4 and 5, the space is formed by the cover back 20.

When the cover sides 18 and 19 are opened from right to left, the end sheet 21 of the fan-folded core unit 10 lies flat with the cover 18. During opening movement, the next two sheets 15 of the core unit are pulled away from their flat-folded position on the core into the triangular arrangement shown in FIG. 2 because of the width differential above mentioned. This exposes the face 17 of the next sheet 15a which is the face that is to be read by the user. When the page is to be turned, the page 15b is pushed in the direction of the arrow 26, first generally horizontally, and then downwardly in the direction of the arrow 26a, as shown by the dot-dash lines, causing the triangularly arranged sheets to fall into flat-folded position on sheet 21 and, in the process, pulling the sheet 15a and the next connected sheet to the triangular position, thereby exposing the reading face of the next sheet connected to the sheet 150.

In the above manner the fan-folded sheets of the core unit 10 may be successively turned until all of them lie in flat-folded position on the cover 18. It will be seen, from the foregoing, that every other sheet is read. By reversing the book and opening out the cover side 19, the core unit Ill may have its alternate sheets exposed for reading thereof. Both illustrated forms of the invention operate in the same way respecting turning the pages from opposite sides of the book, as desired.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, one form of the means 12 comprises hingedly connected stiif members 25a that are connected by hinges Z7 and 28 to the end edges of the cover side 19 and false cover side 23, respectively. Normally, said members 26 are folded flat, as in FIGS. 1 and 2, but when the same are opened out, as in FIG. 3, the cover sides 19 and 23 cooperate with them to form a triangular structure that serves as an easel that holds the core unit 1th in position for easy viewing with two adjacent sheets 15 opened to provide a viewing area comprised of the exposed faces of said two sheets. The previously described triangular arrangement of sheets, when the cover is arranged as an easel, may be used for turning the pages, the arrow 29 indicating the manner of operation to effect successive exposure of pages of the unit 10.

In the form shown in FIG. 5, the means 12 is used to move and hold the false cover side 23 in triangular relation to the cover side 19. A member 3%) is connected by a'hinge 31 to the inner edge of said cover side 23 and is normally folded fiat, as shown in FIG. 4, between the cover sides 19 and 23. The cover back 26 is provided with an abutment edge 32. When the cover sides 18 and W are opened flat, the false cover side 23 may be raised on the hinge 25 and the member 343 folded open to prop against said edge 32, as seen in FIG. 5. The side 23 will be raised to a sloping position, the angle of which will be greater or less, according to the width of the member 30.

In this form, the triangular arrangement of sheets is formed, as before, and the sheets may be turned by pushing successively on said arrangement in the direction of the arrow 33. i

It will be noted that, by creating an angular relationship between the cover sides to which the end sheets 21 and 22 are connected, two adjacent sheets 15 are simultaneously exposed to the viewer and used to provide a reading area that is twice the size of a page.

The stiffer pages 15 of the book shown in FIG. 6 impart additional weight to the triangularly arranged sheets. When the same are pushed in the direction of the arrow 26, the next two fan-folded sheets will be raised from the core, as before. When these sheets move over-center of their inner hinges, their mass, aided by the weight of the sheets that have been pushed, will cause a fall by gravity of these sheets onto the cover side 18. Thus, not much more than a touch is needed for successively turning the pages of the book shown in FIG. 6. The easel provisions above are not required due to the stiffness of the sheets 15.

In the form of FIG. 7, a modified easel form is produced by rigidly connecting the cover back 26 to one of the cover sides, in this instance, the side 18. Thus, when the book is opened, the side 19 has an angular relationship to the side 18 which is substantially the same as the relationship between the false cover side 23 and the side 18, shown in FIG. 5. The page turning operations of these two forms of the invention are quite similar.

The modification shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 has the same angular relationship between the cover sides 18 and 19 as in FIG. 7. The book back 20 comprises one side of a rectangular frame 34 around the core N and has a hinge connection 35 with the cover side 19, as do the cover back and side of the form of FIG. 7. Said frame 35 has a side 20a that has a hinge connection 35a with the cover side 18. It will be clear that said cover sides 18 and 1 and the frame 34 have a Z-form connection arrangement, that lends itself to reversibility, of the book, as illustrated. The core 10 is similar to the core as in FIG. 7, but is housed within the frame 34.

It will be seen that each of the illustrated forms of the invention has a core 10 in which the width across two connected sheets 15 is less than the distance between the end folds or hinges of said core, when the same is opened out on an intermediate hinge. The outer pages of the core, as, for instance, pages 21 and 22, are so affixed or connected to their respective cover sides as to bring the above about. Therefore, the pages of the core, when opened out, cannot lie flat, but assume the described triangular form that raises the intermediate pages above the residual portion of the core, for facile page turning, as described.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the constructions are, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desired to restrict the invention to the particular forms of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A fan-fold book comprising:

(a) a core of fan-folded pages, and

(b) a cover having an intermediate flexible portion to enclose at least the opposite sides of said core and one edge thereof,

(c) the end pages of said core being connected each to an opposite inner face of the cover, and

(d) the width across two connected pages of the core being less than the distance between the end folds of said core when the same is opened out on an intermediate hinge.

2. A fan-fold book according to claim 1 in which the Widths of the core pages are substantially less than the width of the cover sides, a cover back being provided to connect said sides, and the core being disposed adjacent the outer edges of said cover sides and spaced away from the cover back.

3. A fan-fold book according to claim 2, in which said cover back is fixedly connected to one cover side and hingedly connected to the other cover side.

t. A fan-fold book according to claim 2 in which a frame around the core of pages is rigidly formed with the cover back, a hinge connecting one cover side with an edge of said back, and a hinge connecting the other cover side with an edge of the frame that is opposite to said back.

5. A fan-fold book comprising:

(a) a core of fan-folded pages, and

(b) a cover to enclose at least the opposite sides of said core and one edge thereof.

(c) the end pages of said core being connected each to an opposite inner face of the cover,

(d) the width across two connected pages of the core being less than the distance between the end folds of said core when the same is opened out on an intermediate hinge, and

(e) normally folded means on one cover interposed between said cover and the core of pages adapted to be unfolded to support the core portions, when opened out, in easel-like position.

6. A fan-fold book according to claim 5 in which the easel-like position is obtained by a triangular relationship between one cover side and the folded means on the other cover side.

7. In a fan-fold book,

(a) a core of fan-folded pages having outer pages on opposite sides of the core, and

(b) an enclosing hinged cover for said core comprising cover sides and a connecting cover back,

(c) the core, when folded, being positioned in spaced relation to the cover back, and

(d) said outer sheets of the core being fastened each to an opposite inner face of the cover side spaced from the cover back,

(c) said core, when one cover is folded open, unfolding the core accordingly, to move two intermediate pages of the core into raised triangularly related position.

b. In a fan-fold book,

(a) a core of fan-folded pages having outer pages on opposite sides of the core, and

(b) an enclosing hinged cover for said core comprising cover sides and a connecting cover back,

(c) the core, when folded, being positioned in spaced relation to the cover back, and

(d) said outer sheets of the core being fastened each to an opposite inner face of the cover side spaced from the cover back,

(e) said core, when one cover is folded open, unfolding the core accordingly, to move two intermediate pages of the core into raised triangularly related positions, and successive pages of the core being adapted to be turned upon pushing on the triangularly related sheets in a direction toward the cover side that had been folded open from the core.

References (Iited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,531,065 3/25 Boyer 283-3 5 2,048,259 7/36 Greene et a1. 120-29 2,155,327 4/39 Opperxnann 281-5 2,617,665 11/52 Ericson 281-33 2,722,434 11/55 Wolfe 281-33 10 FOREIGN PATENTS 827,100 1/38 France. 473,939 10/37 Great Britain.

JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner. 16 LAWRENCE CHARLES, Examiner, 

1. A FAN-FOLD BOOK COMPRISING: (A) A CORE OF FAN-FOLDED PAGES, AND (B) A COVER HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE FLEXIBLE PORTION TO ENCLOSE AT LEAST THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CORE AND ONE EDGE THEREOF, (C) THE END PAGES OF SAID CORE BEIG CONNECTED EACH TO AN OPPOSITE INNER FACE OF THE COVER, AND (D) THE WIDTH ACROSS TWO CONNECTED PAGES OF THE CORE BEING LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE END FOLDS OF SAID CORE WHEN THE SAME IS OPENED OUT ON AN INTERMEDIATE HINGE. 